


you can fool yourself

by dark_owl_records



Category: Great Pretender (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Case 2: Singapore Sky, First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:40:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26310538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dark_owl_records/pseuds/dark_owl_records
Summary: Abbie’s head fell back in exasperation and she gritted out, “Then get it through your thick skull that Laurent being a horny asshole is the only reason you’re here, and you staying only encourages him.”“I...” Edamura stammered. His face softened into what looked like genuine confusion. “What?”“Oh, Edamame,” Cynthia cooed, chin resting on her hands, “you are adorable!”———Confronting Laurent doesn’t go quite as Edamura expected.
Relationships: Edamura Makoto/Laurent Thierry
Comments: 55
Kudos: 964





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i love this show so much i had to contribute to the surprising few number of fics
> 
> hope you enjoy!

“I hate this job,” Edamura groaned, flopping down onto the couch. He held his face in the crook of his arm, shielding his eyes from the gaudy light fixtures above. His other arm dangled over the side, fingers just grazing the floor.

Abbie sat across the room at a small table, dealing out cards to play with Cynthia, who was still in her coach get up from earlier. It had been a difficult day, Sam’s rejection of Cynthia had come as a surprise, not to mention a blow to her ego. They were having to reconsider that entire angle and it was a real pain in the ass.

Edamura continued, “I don’t get how I keep getting dragged into these things.”

Without looking up Abbie answered him, “Because you want to, obviously.”

“What!” he shot up into a sitting position, brows knitted together, and pointed to her accusingly. “I served my time and found a good, _legal_ job. You’re the ones that brought me back against my will.”

Abbie shrugged. “Then leave,” she said simply.

Cynthia tsked, examining her hand carefully. “Don’t say such things to Edamame, he’s so sensitive.”

Edamura’s protests were quickly drowned out when Abbie explained, “I’m not being mean, I’m serious. If he doesn’t like it he can leave. It’s not like anyone’s holding him hostage, and if he didn’t want to come he could have just stayed in Japan.”

He glared at her. “You guys tricked me by hiring me for your team.”

“Honestly, Edamame,” Cynthia sighed, turning in her chair to face him, “I really thought you knew. Our name was Team Confidence and you were invited back to my private island.”

“And even then, you could have left, but you didn’t. You should really take responsibility for your own shit.” Abbie leaned back, foot planted on the edge of the table, balancing on the back legs of her chair. “You might look like a kid but you’re not one. You make your own decisions. Live with them.”

“And isn’t this so much fun!” Cynthia added with a flushed smile, lifting her wine glass to him in a pseudo cheers. “I love when the entire team is together.”

Edamura gaped at them, not letting up. “Laurent has repeatedly orchestrated cons within his cons just to involve me,” he argued.

“I wonder why,” Abbie said under her breath.

Cynthia laughed in response, a clear and delighted melody, as she turned away from Edamura and placed down a set of cards.

“What’s so funny? You know it’s true,” he huffed, crossing his arms and settling back into the couch. “I don’t get why he does it either, it’s not like you couldn’t get another mechanic.”

Abbie eyed him over her handful of cards. “I know I make fun of you for being stupid a lot,” she said, “but I didn’t think you were actually this stupid.”

Edamura’s face scrunched into a sneer. “What, why?”

“Literally one of the first things I told you is that Laurent thinks with his dick,” she said deliberately, “and that’s why he picked you to play doctor.”

“And?” he asked.

He struggled to understand what his dick had to do with anything.

“ _And_?” she parroted incredulously.

He continued to stare at her blankly.

Cynthia looked between then curiously, before speaking lowly, “I don’t think he gets it, dear.”

Abbie rolled her eyes. “God, you really are a virgin.”

“I am not a virgin!” Edamura exclaimed, face reddening.

Abbie’s head fell back in exasperation and she gritted out, “Then get it through your thick skull that Laurent being a horny asshole is the only reason you’re here, and you staying only encourages him.”

“I...” Edamura stammered. His face softened into what looked like genuine confusion. “What?”

“Oh, Edamame,” Cynthia cooed, chin resting on her hands, “you are adorable!”

“Just because I’m not stupidly horny like Laurent, doesn’t mean I’m a virgin!”

That’s when the door swung open to reveal Laurent carrying two plastic take out bags. “My ears are burning!” Edamura’s blush deepened. Of course he had to come back right that moment. Edamura wouldn’t put it past him to wait on the other side of the door for the best entrance. Though, surprisingly, he didn’t go on to tease Edamura like he normally would.

Or maybe he just didn’t have the opportunity, because Abbie quickly said, “That better be food. I’m starving.”

“It is!” Laurent strolled in and dumped the bags unceremoniously on top of their cards. “And it’s Japanese like Edamame,” he added. He smiled brightly, winking at the other man, who only responded with a scowl.

“Ooh, I love Japanese food,” said Cynthia, as Abbie began tearing open one of the bags and pull out containers. Laurent provided a handful of disposable chopsticks and slid into one of the remaining seats. “Did you get edamame?” she asked.

Laurent laughed. “It would be silly not to.”

Edamura frowned at them from his position on the couch.

“What’s wrong, my little soy bean?” Laurent asked. “Are you not hungry?”

“No.”

His stomach growled.

Laurent’s smile widened. Edamura sighed. “Yeah, fine, whatever,” he grumbled, standing and making his way to join them. He wasn’t going to eat any fucking edamame though.

———

Edamura had all but forgotten about what Abbie had said by the time he’d retired to his room. Dinner had involved its own dramatics, including Cynthia getting a little to drunk and demanding if she was old and holding edamame pods up to him and declaring, “You look just alike!”

It wasn’t really Edamura’s room though, because for some reason he was sharing. He knew the hotel was lavish and more expensive than he cared to think about, but he still didn’t get why they had to stay here if it meant sharing beds. Cynthia and Abbie had been paired off together, which made sense, but he just wished that didn’t mean he was stuck with Laurent.

Edamura sat on the edge of the bed, scrolling mindlessly through his phone when Laurent entered.

“Cynthia has been put to bed,” he announced. “I’m sure she’ll be back on her feet and ready for our next move in the morning. I’ve seen her recover from a lot worse.”

Edamura only hummed noncommittally in response. He was glad Cynthia was okay, but he didn’t feel much like talking.

“What’s the matter, Edamame?” Laurent asked. “Are you still upset?”

He scoffed. “What are you talking about?”

Laurent inspected himself in the mirror, fixing his hair.

 _What a stupid thing to do before bed,_ Edamura thought.

“I know you aren’t happy with the change of plans,” Laurent explained. “We never expected for Cynthia’s angle to fall through.”

Edamura clicked his phone off, placing it on the bedside table. “Sam is an asshole and he deserves this for what they did to Lewis,” he admitted, “so I’m doing it, but I didn’t sign up for this,” he looked to Laurent “and I’m not going to stick around when the job is over.”

Laurent paused, eyeing him curiously through the mirror. “You know you were never just going to be our mechanic, don’t you?”

Edamura balked. He knew Laurent to be forward but he was shocked to hear him say something so ridiculous, so outright. It seemed today was the day that everyone would confront him with this, like he was in on it.

“I wouldn’t have come if I did!” he protested.

“Oh, Edamame,” Laurent tutted, turning to face him, “I will never understand how you can lie to a gangster’s face but sound hardly convincing when you say such things to me.”

He’d had enough. “This is fucking stupid.” Edamura grabbed his pajamas and stood. “I’m going to get ready for bed,” he said, making his way to their bathroom, when he suddenly felt a hand grip his wrist from behind. He froze.

Laurent stood closely behind him and spoke lowly into his ear. “Don’t pretend like it’s not exciting. Like you don’t love it.”

Edamura yanked his hand from his grip and spun around.

“Don’t tell me how I feel.” He couldn’t help his rising blush, suddenly flustered with a wave of anger. “I just want to live a good, honest life. I deserve that at least.” He jabbed Laurent’s chest with a pointed finger. “You keep pulling me back in with your convoluted schemes.”

His eyes bore into the shorter man’s, as he said evenly, “I never forced you to do anything you didn’t want to do. I only present you with opportunities.”

“Opportunity!” Edamura scoffed. “Is that what you call bribing my boss and hiring me under false pretenses?”

“My methods might be unconventional,” he admitted, “but you’re lying to yourself if you really think _Japan’s top scam artist_ would just sit on the sidelines, being a good samaritan.”

“You don’t know shit about me,” Edamura warned.

Laurent stepped forward. “Yes, I do. It seems you’re the one that doesn’t know shit.”

Edamura suddenly fisted his shirt in one hand, pulling him down sharply to meet his gaze.

“Shut up,” he growled.

Their position reminded him of when they first arrived to L.A. but he immediately knew this was different. This as more personal. Laurent wasn’t a stranger and Edamura wanted more than just to shake him in petty anger. He was surprised how much, even with this relatively small change, the atmosphere around them shifted. Their faces were inches away, and he was annoyed to see that Laurent only looked a bit dazed, pleased even. That only pissed off Edamura more.

Couldn’t he tell he was mad? Was this just all some stupid game to him? He gritted his teeth together. “You stupid blond bastard,” he hissed, “don’t you care at all? This is my life.”

They were close enough that he could feel his breath tickling his face. Laurent seemed to gain some clarity then, but it still wasn’t what Edamura expected. Laurent never rose to his jabs and seemed to keep a cool head no matter how angry Edamura got, but it was still jarring to see his face soften into a fond smile.

“Of course I care, Makoto,” he answered gently.

The use of his proper name shocked Edamura. He felt himself falter, his grip on the shirt loosening for a moment, before his rage came back full force. He would rip his stupid, fucking overpriced, pink shirt. What a prick he was, to act so vulnerable when Edamura was trying to confront him. “You never take anything seriously,” he accused, “I’ve never met anyone more infuriating and careless.”

But Laurent didn’t seem to be paying much attention to the words he was saying, eyes flicking down to the other man’s lips. Edamura suddenly felt hyper aware of their position— where his knuckles brushed his chest through his wrinkling shirt, the way their noses were almost touching.

He could tell the difference now. The low light of their shared hotel room was worlds away from the loud traffic of the L.A. highway. He swallowed nervously, but continued, “You’re not even paying attention to what I’m saying, you asshole.”

Yet, he couldn’t help himself from glancing at Laurent’s parted mouth at he spoke. The man’s pupils dilated and and he could feel the heat radiating from his stupid, sweet breath. Edamura knew that Laurent was a creep, just a flirty, insincere prick, but that was impossible to read in the earnest gaze he was giving him in that moment. They way he was looking at Edamura was confusing the hell out of him and, like many things, it only fueled his fury.

Something snapped inside of him. He felt himself tip over the edge, and while he would have expected a punch, he found himself yanking Laurent forward for a bruising kiss.

It was hot and intense, and admittedly a bit awkward, but before he could even process what he’d done or pull away, a small delighted noise escaped from the frenchman. An arm wrapped around his waist as his other hand went to cradle his head. Laurent tugged him closer and deepened the kiss. Edamura found himself kissing back. Somehow they found their rhythm and whatever thought he had begun to form disappeared as he felt his hand fall from the shirt, relaxing into his touch. A moan escaped his lips as they parted with a swipe of Laurent’s soft tongue.

They were _french_ kissing, he thought to himself hazily.

Edamura couldn’t shake the sense that as unprepared he was to be kissing the man he had been yelling at only a moment before, Laurent was doubly ready, as if he’d just been waiting for this. Edamura looped his arms around Laurent’s neck, relaxing further into the kiss, unable to think much beyond how nice his lips felt on his. How much this felt like a release after such a long build up. It was, annoyingly and undeniably, the best kiss of his life. He was surprised at how much he felt, how intensely he felt from just this. His whole body lit up in a way that made him feel dizzy with the need be close.

A small sound of surprise came from him as Laurent grasped his hips and moved down to hoist him up, wrapping his legs around his waist. He didn’t even break the kiss, moving forward to the closest wall to press Edamura against it, crowing his body with his own. The way their hips met and the shock of the change in position made Edamura gasp. Laurent took it as an opportunity to break the kiss and move down to explore his neck. Edamura panted, griping onto his shoulders for dear life as his head tilted back to meet the wall.

The parting of their kiss gave him more room to think, though, and only then did he really find he had enough mental capacity to piece together his thoughts. He was still very distracted, Laurent’s mouth hot on his neck, trailing deep kisses along his jawline, but opening his eyes to see the ceiling above them he saw those stupid light fixtures again. There were way too many bulbs pointing out at dumb angles like an abstract chandelier for rich pricks. That detail slowly helped bring him back into reality, able to reason beyond just how nice it felt to be pressed up against the other man. They were in their hotel room in Singapore because he’d been dragged into another job, and he was practically grinding against Laurent of all people. He was in the arms of a dumb, horny, frenchman that he hated. Well, maybe he didn’t hate him, but certainly didn’t like. Well he did like kissing him but not—

“Wait, wait,” Edamura managed to say.

Laurent immediately paused, raising his head and spoke gently. “Are you okay?”

“I, uh...” Edamura struggled to find words as their eyes met, feeling incredibly warm and small under the other man’s curious gaze.

“Do you want to stop?” Laurent offered. He was being so vulnerable and gentle it was starting piss him off all over again.

Edamura let out a frustrated breath. He didn’t want to really, but at the same time he felt so overwhelmed and confused, he was beginning to feel out of control.

He nodded. Laurent moved his hands along his legs and helped guide them down to the floor again, taking a step back to give him some room. Edamura finally felt like he could breathe again, even if he missed the touch, the closeness. Now Laurent only held him steady with two outstretched hands on either shoulder, but he was glad for that at least. His legs felt like they might give out any moment.

“Are you okay?” Laurent asked again. He looked concerned, something Edamura rarely saw.

He closed his eyes and took another deep breath. That’s all he needed to be able to finally right himself. “Yeah, sorry. Just not what I was expected,” he trailed off.

Laurent released his hold and took a step back, rubbing the back of his neck. “I might have gotten a bit carried away,” he admitted.

To be honest, Edamura didn’t know what the fuck he was doing, but he wanted to show somehow that he was okay, that he was in control. He stepped forward and cupping the taller man’s cheek, leaned up to kiss him once more. It was brief, not much more than a peck of the lips, but it left Laurent looking stunned. Edamura was surprised how much he could crack his cool exterior and expose such vulnerable expressions he would never have expected to see. He hated how much he actually like that dumb look on Laurent’s face, and knowing he’d caused it. Edamura stepped back, creating space between them again. “I’m going to go to bed.”

That snapped Laurent out of his daze. “But we...” he began.

“Don’t worry,” Edamura reassured. He felt much steadier but he couldn’t help the shy, nervous energy that just seemed to radiate from him, something about the way he held himself even speaking with an even voice. “Just act like it was before.” Before their mind blowing kiss that would be very difficult to forget and he was still unsure how to process.

“Okay,” Laurent said, that dumb, fond smile playing at his lips again. Edamura wanted to wipe it off, but also he didn’t want to think about his lips anymore. Or the stupid butterflies in his stomach or the fact that he was still half hard. What a mess.

Laurent left for the bathroom, leaving Edamura to get changed into his grey pajamas he’d kept from staying at Salazar’s. It was a few minutes after he got into bed that Laurent re-entered the room and quietly slipped into his side. They faced away from each other, leaving as much space between them as they could. Edamura hugged his spare pillow tightly to his chest as he said quietly, “Don’t think this means I’m not still mad at you.”

He heard a small laugh come from Laurent, before he responded, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Edamura reached to flick off the light. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Edamame.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to the fanfic discord for all the encouragement i couldn’t have finished this fic without you!
> 
> special shout out to sam for betaing and ron for being my muse

Laurent wasn’t naturally an early riser, but when he was on the job, he tended to be the first awake.

He got quietly out of bed and began to get ready, changing into his white button up and black suit. Today was the underground casino’s debut and he had to look the part. He sat on the edge of the room’s small, round settee, tying his shoes, when he finally let his gaze wander to the sleeping figure.

Edamura mumbled in his sleep, rolling over and pulling half of the covers with him. His hair was mussed and he drooled lightly onto his pillow. He looked so sweet, Laurent was met with the urge to climb back in bed and wrap himself around him.

It had been difficult not to do so the night before, truth be told. Laurent had long desired to be close to him, but it was much harder to resist now that he actually knew what it was like. He’d known that he wanted him, but now it felt like something he’d had on the back burner was now in danger of burning the whole house down. He suspected Edamura might feel the same, but there was no way of telling what today would bring. For all he knew, Edamura might never speak of it again and pretend last night didn’t happen, or could leap into his arms as soon as he woke. Probably the former. It wasn’t ideal but Laurent was no one if not someone would could roll with the punches.

“What a strange boy,” he mused.

And wasn’t Edamura just that. A boy.

He might have, for example, accidentally brought down an entire drug empire, but even after years in prison, he still had such an air of naivety to him. It was hard to take him seriously when he practically reeked of inexperience. He’d come a long way from the two-bit swindler he found in the streets of Tokyo.

He was a good improviser and a decent actor, but his follow through left something to be desired. His inability to foresee any consequences was exactly what made it so easy for Laurent to always stay two steps ahead. Edamura still managed to surprise him, though. As much as surprises were, in practice, a con man’s worst nightmare, he could never resist a plot twist. Edamura was full of those, like his Sakura Magic formula stunt. It was delightful. Stupid, yes. Inconvenient, definitely. But he would be lying if he said that he wasn’t the least bit impressed.

_That kiss_ , he thought, _now, that was unexpected._

It wasn’t like Laurent wasn’t forward with his flirtations, but Edamura’s reaction, or lack of, sometimes left him feeling as if he had better chances with a brick wall. As much as Laurent would restrain himself if his advances weren’t well met, Edamura seemed to be more ignorant to them than anything else. Maybe he wasn’t used to that kind of attention, but he didn’t even seem flustered by it, he just brushed it off. Laurent did wonder at first if it was because he was a man, but he would always fall back to the memory of that lovely, soft blush when they’d stood in front of that shop mirror, slipping a pen into his breast pocket.

It was safe to say now that his gender was not the issue.

As dense as Edamura could be, he had been right about one thing. Laurent really hadn’t been listening after he’d grabbed his shirt and pulled him in close. He’d been much to distracted for that. Who could blame him? It was like the universe had plucked a fantasy right out of his head and said ‘here you go, Laurent, a gift for all those terrible people you’ve fucked over’.

Thinking back to what he could remember of what Edamura had said, perhaps he did jump the gun in bribing his boss. Yet, as much as Laurent promised to wait, he had been growing impatient. It had been two months since his prison release and Edamura hadn’t shown any sign of letting up his playing mechanic, and Laurent was, at heart, a meddler. He knew he was good at his job, so maybe they opportunities he set up were irresistible, but he’d never forced anyone’s hand. Illusions were his trade, and Edamura liked the illusion that he would continue to live his crime free life, only in the periphery. That he could resist jumping right back in.

Of course, Laurent knew better.

How was a man meant to resist messing with Edamura when he made it so fun? Laurent couldn’t help that he’d taken such a shine to him. He was equal parts charming and inept; it was endearing. Laurent had to admit, even after a relatively short amount of time together, he had missed him those years in between jobs. He couldn’t tell you exactly how deep those feelings went, but there was something special about him.

Laurent was drawn back out of his thoughts when the man in question sat up. Edamura rubbed at his faceblearily and let out a drawn out yawn.

“What time?” he asked drowsily.

Laurent looked to his watch. “Seven nineteen.”

Edamura hummed in response, slowly adjusting to being awake. It almost hurt how cute he looked. He squinted at Laurent on the other side of the room and blurted, “Suit.”

He instinctively glanced down to his clothes. When he looked up Edamura was blushing again and grimacing like he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Laurent laughed and said, “You’re very observant.”

Coving his face, Edamura made a sound, something along the lines of, “Guh,” and said “Just get out. I need to get ready.”

Laurent gestured to his feet. “I haven’t even got my other shoe on.”

“You can do that in the lounge,” Edamura argued. “I need to change.”

A grin spread across his face. “If undressing is what you’re worried about, Edamame, I promise I hardly mind. In fact—” He was cut off with a pillow being slung in his direction. It missed him only just, bouncing off the arm of his chair.

“Shut up, asshole!” said Edamura, turning a new shade of red. Laurent had for so long been relying on the memory of that one blush and now he was gifted with several more in less than twelve hours! The universe was really gifting him.

Laurent threw his hands up, relinquishing. “Okay, okay.”

He stood and quickly exited the room, shutting the door behind him. In the lounge he found an already dressed Abbie on the couch, leafing through a magazine with little interest. She looked up at him, hair unstyled and a shoe in his hand, and said, “What’s with the stupid looking grin?”

———

Cynthia was pouring herself a cup of hotel brand coffee when she heard her phone ping a few times in quick succession. She picked it up to see a string of messages from ‘Edamame’.

**_r u awake_ **

**_pls come to my room_ **

**_...discretely_ **

**_i need help_ **

**_bring ur makeup kit_ **

She frowned curiously at the messages, typing back a response.

_What?_

_Edamame you don’t need makeup ur beautiful just how you are_

**_im not asking for a makeover i just need some uh_ **

**_コンシーラー_ **

**_that thing to cover up_ **

_Ah i see_

_Eye bags?_

**_(¬_¬)_ **

**_just get in here_ **

**_and dont be obvious!_ **

_(･ω･)b_

Cynthia smiled, setting her phone back down. What a silly request!

Edamame never asked anything of her before, so she could only assume it was important. She was an excellent con woman, but even for her it was a bit of an ask to slip into his room completely unnoticed with Laurent and Abbie right there. She pursed her lips, thoughtful, as she glanced down to the mug in her hands. It was an unpleasant shade, almost greyish, and lopped from side to side like something much more vicious that coffee should be. 

“Laurent?”

He was lounging on the couch, browsing on his laptop, but looked up to meet her gaze.

“Yes, my dear?”

“This coffee is dreadful. Would you be a doll and get me a frappe?” she asked. “I would kill for Starbucks right now.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You want me to find a Starbucks?”

“Well,” Cynthia said, “it doesn’t have to be Starbucks.”

He closed the laptop and said, “ Why do I get the sense this isn’t really about the hotel coffee?”

She flashed him an innocent smile. “Does it make any difference?”

Laurent laughed. “Okay, I’ll play along. Order of one frappe for a Ms. Moore.” He turned to Abbie, who sat at the other end of the sofa. “Do you want anything?”

Stretching her arms above her head with a soft click, Abbie stood and said, “I’ll go with you. I wanted to take a walk anyway.”

Within a minute, the two of them were out of the hotel suite, leaving Cynthia to freely sneak into Edamura’s room. That and an actual cup of coffee— a win win.

Cynthia grabbed her makeup bag from her room before going to meet him. She didn’t bother knocking, pushing the door open and calling out, “Laurent and Abbie went on a coffee run, so we have at least half an hour before they come back.”

“Oh, okay,” Edamura answered. “I’m in the bathroom. You can come in.”

She crossed the room to the en suite with her bag in hand. The door was open, revealing Edamura, sitting on the shut toilet seat, leg bouncing nervously. Apart from his demeanour, she couldn’t immediately see what was wrong with him or why he was so insistent she come.

“What do you...” she began, but the question fell from her lips when Edamura pointedly turned his head, displaying his neck

“Can you cover this?” he asked urgently, gesturing to the sizeable bruise at the side of his jaw, just under his ear.

Wait, not a bruise. _A love bite._

Cynthia’s hands flew to her mouth as she suppressed a laugh.

He turned back, grimacing. “Cynthia, please help me,” he practically begged, “this is serious!”

The kid looked pretty distraught, it was kind of funny.

“Edamame! What did you do last night?” she teased.

His head dropped into his hands, letting out a groan.

“Did you go out after I went to bed?” she pressed.

“No!” he protested, but quickly seemed to regret it, stammering, “I-I mean, uh...”

That’s when it clicked. “Ohh,” she smirked, knowingly, “so he finally made his move, huh?”

Edamura’s head shot up. “What?”

“Laurent,” she explained. “I expected him to wait, though, honestly. You’re so skittish!”

“No, Laurent didn’t, uh, make a move.”

“Oh,” Cynthia paused, cocking her head and holding a delicate finger to her chin. “Then who gave you that?”

“No, I mean...” he looked frustrated with himself, like he didn’t want to be embarrassed but he couldn’t help it. “I kissed him.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh!” She placed a hand on her hip and said, “I’m impressed, Edamame. You are full of surprises!”

Edamura sighed. He felt the familiar urge to mask his embarrassment with anger, but he pushed it aside. It was pretty tiring, really, and he felt like Cynthia didn’t really deserve an outburst. She was doing him a favor after all. So, he ignored her.

“Can you cover it up?” he asked.

Cynthia finally stepped out of the doorway and placed her bag down beside the sink. She rummaged through it for a moment before pulling out a small tube and approaching him. She leaned over to examine the mark, gently grasping his jaw and titling it to get a better view.

“Our skin tones aren’t a perfect match,” she admitted, “but they’re close. I think we can get away with it.”

Edamura let out a relieved breath. “Okay, thank you.”

She offered him a reassuring smile and twisted open the concealer with a pop. As she worked, gently dabbing the product on his neck, Edamura sat stiffly, directing his gaze at the ceiling.

After a moment she spoke. “Can I ask, since it was Laurent, why did you want me to sneak in?”

“It’s complicated,” he murmured.

Cynthia paused her hand, hovering over his skin, waiting for him to continue. She wasn’t pressuring him, exactly, more giving him space to think. He made himself relax, releasing the tension in his shoulders and unclenching his jaw.

Edamura decided, in that moment, to trust her.

“I don’t really know what happened,” he began. “We were arguing— well, I was arguing, he was just being Laurent— and I just kissed him. I don’t remember deciding to do it, it just happened, and it got really intense really fast.” Cynthia hummed in understanding, actively listening, soft pad of her finger blending the concealer. “He wasn’t pushy, though. He was really nice about it, actually. So, I stopped it and we just went to bed.”

“And then?” she asked.

“And then this morning I sort of kicked him out to get ready before he could say much. We didn’t talk about it and I don’t think he saw the mark. Then, when I saw it, I freaked out.”

“Well,” she said, leaning back and squinting at her work, “you definitely were right to text me.”

It wasn’t as difficult to talk about, not looking at her. Despite the weird intimacy of her touching his neck, it was almost easy to pretend he was talking to himself or it was a strange form of confession. He wrung his hands nervously in his lap as he continued. “It’s not like it was my first kiss, but it was weird. It was Laurent— and the weirdest thing was how sincere he was acting. You know what he’s normally like.”

“I do,” she agreed.

“So, I guess I didn’t want anyone to know or have to talk about it yet,” he admitted. “I don’t really know what he expects. I don’t know what he thinks or feels or anything. I don’t even know what I do. I’m confused. He’s confusing. The whole thing is confusing.”

Cynthia placed a hand on his shoulder, then, causing him to lower his chin and look at her properly for the first time. “He doesn’t just whisk away anyone after years in prison. You know that, right?”

‘Whisk away’ wasn’t exactly what he would call it but he did know what she meant. He knew Laurent treated him differently, but he didn’t like to linger on that line of thought. Yet, for the first time, he voiced the question that had been bothering him ever since they’d first met. “Why me?”

Cynthia’s eyes softened. “Because he likes you, dear.”

“But why?” he pressed without thinking.

Cynthia laughed. “Oh, Edamame, you don’t need a reason to like anything! Some things just are.” She straightened herself and offered him a hand. He took it, allowing her to pull him to his feet. “If i had to guess I would say its your spirit. You’re very emotional and driven in a way that is very endearing, and unexpected in this line of work. When you’re at the top of your game like Laurent, you can miss a challenge. It can get predictable, boring even, and you,” she said, releasing his hand, “are anything but that.”

He frowned. “I don’t see how I’m a challenge. Anyway, he seems to be able to predict me pretty well, that’s the only reason I’m here. He keeps tricking me.”

She twisted the concealer shut with a click, dropping it back into her bag. “Was he not surprised that you kissed him? I doubt he predicted that. You might find it difficult to see from his perspective, but you’re not any less confusing than he is, Edamame.”

“What, so that’s it? He thinks I’m playing hard to get or something? He just likes the chase?”

“Who knows what goes on in that man’s head,” she relents, “but he doesn’t do things on a whim.”

He thought back to Laurent’s soft expression when he pulled away from their kiss. He would be foolish to forget acting was part of the job, though. Who was to say this wasn’t all part of another elaborate plan? It was hard to trust someone that made a career of lying.

“Yeah.”

Cynthia clapped her hands together, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Have a look!” She gestured to the mirror excitedly.

He stood and leaned over the sink carefully, inspecting his neck.

“It’s not perfect,” she admitted, “but unless you know to look for it, I doubt anyone would notice. Should do the trick.”

She was right, he thought, it wasn’t bad, but even the patch of slight discoloration in the harsh bathroom lights made his heart beat a little faster.

“Be careful with your collar, though, don’t want it to rub off,” she advised, giving herself a last check in the mirror and taking her bag.

He backed away from the sink and nodded. “Thank you.”

She smiled reflexively and turned to leave. When she reached the doorway, she hesitated and asked, “Can I give you a last bit of advice?”

He nodded.

Cynthia looked back to him over her shoulder. “You’ve got a big heart kid, but don’t lose sight of reality. We’re not friends. We’re not anything: a team, a family, lovers.”

Edamura froze. “I know the rules.”

She turned back. “Laurent might have made the rules but he’ll be the first to break them. That makes him vulnerable. You should think about what it is that you want before you do anything stupid.”

With that she left, leaving Edamura alone with his dumb reflection.

———

They made a routine of it over the next few days; Laurent and Abbie going out for coffee as Cynthia sneaked into his room to cover up the fading mark. Laurent never said anything. He didn’t bring up the kiss or make any sort of move, seeming to focus solely on the job at hand. He only spared Edamura a few of his soft, curious looks in the quieter moments. It was relieving as much as it was infuriating.

And when Edamura lay floating on the water, heart beating out of his chest, half convinced he was dead, his hickey was close to the last thing on his mind. His arms stretched out on either side of him, he breathed heavily, staring up at the dusky pink sky above him.

That’s when he felt a sharp jab in his side with a splash and heard Abbie say, “Start swimming, they’re coming to pick us up.”

She shed her parachute and broke into an easy breaststroke. It took a moment for Edamura to get his bearings. He tread the water and squinted against the setting sun, barely catching sight of the approaching boat. By the time it reached him, Abbie was already on board, towel wrapped around her shoulders and a drink in her hand. He climbed the floating ladder on the hull and clamored his way onto the deck.

Edamura was immediately met with two arms wrapping a towel around him, lingering a little longer than they had to. When they pulled away, he was met with Laurent’s smug face.

“Have a nice swim?”

Despite himself, Edamura found himself laughing, still on the high of near death adrenaline. He recovered by lightly shoving Laurent away from him and making his way to Shi-won who held out a second champagne flute for him. He drank it down in nearly one before he turned back to Laurent, who watched him with an amused look.

“I almost died,” he said.

“But you didn’t,” Laurent pointed out.

He huffed and leaned his arms on the railing, preferring to gaze on the water over the man beside him. That’s when he felt fingers on his neck which nearly made him jump. Before he could react, Laurent had already said, “It seems your makeup is not waterproof.”

Edamura grabbed his hand, tearing it away from his neck and exclaimed, “You knew?”

Laurent laughed, relishing in his reaction. “You aren’t very subtle, Edamame. You checked yourself in the mirror practically every opportunity you had.”

It was then that he realised he was still grasping Laurent’s hand in his, held between them. He dropped it quickly, as if it burned, and cursed to himself. He felt himself at a crossroads, there were really only a few ways he could go from here. He could give into his embarrassment and let everyone laugh at his foolishness, or he could take control. Surprise him.

He took a breath and ran a hand through his hair, letting the water slick it back.

“For someone who acts so confident, you really are a coward,” Edamura said.

Laurent’s eyes widened. “A coward?” he questioned.

Edamura took a step forward, trying to ignore the others, unaware if they were paying attention of not. “I know your secret.”

“Oh?”

“You like me,” Edamura said, jabbing his chest with an accusing finger.

Laurent smiled, that stupid fond look spreading across his face again. “That was never much of a secret.”

Edamura scoffed. “Then why do I have to do all the work?” he demanded.

The fallen hand rose again to reach out, caressing his cheek lightly. Laurent moved forward, closing the space between them and said, “I’m more than happy to do the work. Don’t mistake my patience for cowardice.”

Edamura felt frozen in place by his gaze. “What do you want?” he murmured.

“Whatever you’re willing to give,” Laurent answered easily. That same sincerity shone in his eyes, and Edamura struggled again to not trust it.

Cynthia’s words stuck with him. He knew he was different than the rest of them. He was soft, he cared about people, and he knew it wasn’t a weakness, but it did make him vulnerable. Yet, he was beginning to see the same softness in Laurent, behind all of his aloof exterior. Maybe he wasn’t as good of a liar as he thought, or maybe he wanted Edamura to see it, to show him they weren’t so different. Whatever it was, it was scary as hell to think about.

At the same time, he’d just narrowly escaped certain death, what was one more jump?

Edamura put a hand to the one of his cheek, holding it there, and tilted his face up to Laurent’s. His eyes fluttering closed as pressed his lips to his.

It was just as good as the first time. Inexplicably, much more than just a meeting of their lips. Laurent felt uncharacteristically nervous, stomach flipping with butterflies he hadn’t felt in years. This time he didn’t react so excitedly, hardly having a chance to kiss back before Edamura leaned back, breaking them apart.

“You’ll be the first to know when I figure that out,” he said.

Laurent grinned stupidly, looking like a lovestruck teenager. “I look forward to it.”

They were finally interrupted when Abbie called, “Can you stop being gross now, I’m trying to celebrate.”

Laurent let his hand fall from Edamura’s face, intertwining their fingers. He raised the glass to her, and declared, “Celebration is definitely warranted.”

Edamura blushed furiously but didn’t let go. They held onto each other, watching the sun disappear into the horizon.

“It’s almost romantic,” Laurent murmured.

Edamura punched him lightly with his free hand.

“Shut up.”


End file.
